Process for treating semisolid material in the containers of filter-presses and removing the same therefrom.



c. w. MERRILL. PROCESS FOR THEATING SEMISOLID MATERIAL IN THE CONTAINBS0f"` FILTERPRESSES AND HEMOVING THE SAME THEREFROM.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE I. l 910.

Patented May v15, 1917. 2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

.n.w mu-,nn #LUN W.

l.- mwmmwmwrrvt c. w. MERRILL.

PROCESS FOR TREATINGKSEMISOLID MATERIAL IN THE CUNTAINERS 0F FILTERPRESSES AND REMOVING THE SAME THEREFROM.

APPLICATION FILEDJUNET. |910- I Patented May `15, 1917.

2 SHEETS--SHEET 2.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEicE.

CHARLES W. MERRILL, 0F BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA.

PBQESS FOB- TEEATING s'Emi'soLm MATERIAL IE THE eoNTaINEns or FILTER,-

rnEssEs AND nEnovINe THE SAME THEnEEnon.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES Wy MERRILL citizen of the United States, andresident o Berkeley, Alameda county, California, have invented a new anduseful Improvement in Processes for Treating .Semisolid Material in theContainers .of Filter-Presses and Removing the Same Therefrom, of whichthe following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in processes for4 treating asemi-solid .ma-

.terial in the containers of filter presses and for removing the sametherefrom, and the primary object of my improvement is to facilitate andcli'eapen the removal from the containers of the-material which will notass through the filtering medium. In

tters Patent of the United 'StatesNo 798,200, granted to me on the 29thday of August l1905, I described and claimed processes of removing solid`or semi-solid ma.- terials from containers of pressure filters "whichconsisted in providing aninlet for each distance frame or container ofthe filter press through which liquid, vapor or gas could be introducedunder pressure and the solid, semi-solid or unfilterablev contentssluiced or forced out through an exit in said frame, which exit mighteither be an independent outlet or might be the opening throughwhich thematerial to be filtered was 'originally introduced.

present invention is an im rovement on the'aforesaid process, and commes as a part thereof the treatment of the semi-solid material in thecontainers with anydesired4 liquid, gas or vapor for any desiredpurpose, and the removal of the solid-or semi-solid material in additionto the agency employed in said atented process by causing the same to bec arged4 upon the cloths of the filter plates within the containers'inthin layers, and afterward as an element in the process them to thetreatment outlined above an subsequently subjecting the layers of solidor semi-solid material to the presi sure of liqiid, vapor or gas actingrombehind the lter cloths. For the purpose of best explaining how thepresent process is conducted, I would refer to accompanying sheet ofdrawings of' a diagrammatic nature which show types of the apparatus bywhich my present process ma be carried out.

Y In the drawings, igure 1 isa longitudinal cross section of acontainer; Fig. 2 is Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 15, 1917.

Application med June 7, 1910. Serielle. 565,547.

a vertical longitudinal section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1 of a series ofcontainers and filter plates put together in the manner usual in filterpresses; Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section of a modified form ofcontainer; Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal section of a series of suchmodified form of containers put together on thev line 4 4 of Fig. 93;Fig. 5 is a vertical cross section of a container of a Still furthermodified form; Fig. 6 is a vertical longitudinal section on the line 6-6of Fig. 5 of a series of such modified form of containers put together;Fig. 7 is a longitudinal cross section of a container with the sup lypipe or channel W1, ,W2, W3, omitted ang the gate at the bottom of thecontainer elongated so as to increase the clearance space from theinterior of the container; Fig. 84 is a vertical longitudinal section onthe line 8-8 of Fig. 7 of Va series of such modified form of containersshown in Fig. 7 put together.

In the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2 C1 is the frame of thecontainer, which may be in cross-section of any convenient sha e. O1 isan opening or outlet at one side through which the solid, semi-solid, orunfilterable material, hereinafter for-convenience called the slimes, isremoved from the containers and which when a series of containers areput together in a filter press Vmakes a continuous opening through theVcontainers are put together in the filter press and is provided withthe openingsl, 2 and 95 3, from which the material maybe introduced intothe chamber. W? is a supply pipe or channel throu h lwhich the liquid,vapor, or gas is intro uced under pressure for t e purprse of removingthe precipitate. 100

This is provided with a nozzle, slit, or hole N1 which enters into eachcontainer. F1 'is the filter plate, which is introduced between i thecontainers.

Inthe second construction shown in Figs. 105

3 and 4, the opening O2, which corresponds to' O1 in the structure shownin Figs. 1 and :2, is placed withinI the container and contains in its'interior the supply pipe W2,

fixed or rotative, which corresponds to the 110 pipe W1 and like it isprovided with nozzles N2 1, similar to the nozzles N1 N1, which ass intoeach container, a series of these being employed, as in the reviousconstruction. 'I1 represents the in et through which the material to befiltered is introduced, which corresponds to the inlet I1 in Figs. 1 and2.

In the third construction shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the discharge iseffected through a .series of openings O1, which are closed by ates G,and the supply -pipe W3, which is ed or rotative, is provided with asimilar series of nozzles N11 so that when the gates G are o enedcleansing material may be introduce through the pipe W1..

In the fourth construction shown 1n Figs. 7 and 8, the discharge iseffected by the open bottom O1 which is closed by'the gate G1. Therotative pipe W, W1, W2 is eliminated, and when the ate is opened thecontents of the container all out into a suitable collecting receptacle,as soon as the pressure 1s exerted behind the cloths. a

In each of the constructions outlets A1, A, A11 and A* respectively areprovided for the effluent liquids, vapors or gases.

The material to be filtered or treated is l supplied to the containersthrough the inlet channels I or O or both and thereupon the solid, semisolid or unfilterable material, hereinafter for convenience called theslime, will settle upon the filter cloths as shown by the lines in thecontainer on the extreme rlght of Fig. 2, so that it will form a layeron the cloths of the filter plates and cover the same and a space willbe left in the container between the two layers. If now it is desired tosubject the slime to any metallurgical treatment, the vapor, gas orliquid employed for such Apurpose may be introduced either through I1 I2I11 and I* and O1 1 O11 and O* or through the nozzle N1 N2 Ns and N1.After this has been done, in cases Where it is deemed advisable to do soa vapor, liquid or gas under pressure is introduced through the ports a1a1 av a*- from the channels A11 A1 ,A1 A and behind the filter plates,the action of which is to cause the layers Aof slime to fall off of thecloths and drop to the bottom of the containers, thereuponthe gates G1are opened, if the container be of the ty e shown in Figs. 7 and 8, andthe slimes will be discharged into a suitable receptacle; or, if theslimes are of such Aa character that they are not easily discharged fromthe container by their ownweight, they can. be washed out of thecontainer by means of vapor, gas or liquid being introducedinto it unasshown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 and 6.

If desired, a plurality of inlets may be employed fon-the introductioneither of the mixture, thewashing out medium, or the er pressure throughthe nozzle-pipe or hole N N1 N N medium employed for metallurgicaltreatment and the container may be either of the type of those abovedescribed o1l may be of any other types described by me in earlierLetters Patent of the United States Nos. 842,484, 856,596 and 905,341,hemtofoire` issued to me.

I claim as my invention:

1. The hereinbefore described method of treating in and removing solidor semi-solid material from the containers of pressure filters consistiin depositing the same in thin layers upon e filter clothswhich form theclosure of the filters so that a. space is left between the layers, thensubjecting the layers to any desired metallurgical treatment, subjectingthe material during the deposition and treatment to continuous pressureupon the layers and then opening the gates of the containers and finallylsubjecting'tlie layers to the pressure of liquid, vapor or gas actingfrom behind the filter cloths whereby the same are discharged from thepressure filter through said bottom outlet gates of the containers.

2. The hereinbefore described method of treating in and removing solidor semi-solid -material from, the containers `of pressure left betweenthe layers, then subjecting the `layers to any desired metallurgicaltreatment, subjecting the material during the deposition and treatmentto continuous pressure upon the layers, subjecting the lay-4 ers to thepressure of liquid, va or or as acting from behind the filter c oths, ten forcing said material out of the containers by the impingement of astream of liquid, vapor or gas vunder pressure directly upon and belowthe upper surface of the contents of said containers without separatingthe units of the same.

` 3. The hereinbefore described method of removing solid or'semi-solidmaterial from the containers of pressure filters consisting in deositing` the same in thin layers upon the ter cloths which form theclosure of the filters so that a space is left between the layers, thensubjecting the layers to any desired metallurgical treatment, subjectingthe lmaterial during the deposition and treattreating solid lorsemi-solid material in the containers 'of pressure-filters consistingindepositing the same under continuous pressure in 'thin layers on thefilter-cloths which form the closure of the vcontainers so that aspaceis left between the layers, then subjecting the layers While undercontinuous pressuref to any desired metallurgical treatment.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing es my invention, I `have signedmy 'name in 10 presence of two Witnesses, this third day of June 1910.

CHARLES W. MERRILL. Witnesses: WILLARD PARKER BUTLER, CHARLES ENGEL.

